PoLice crack farm killing – Security officers nab one Hampson murder suspect on way to Jo’burg

Hampson was driving on the farm with his son Murray, when they were confronted by two men who had allegedly trespassed onto their land.

Magma Security’s Shaheen Suleiman told The Witness that his team spent sleepless nights searching for the suspects. “With the help of informers we managed to track them. We arrested one of the suspects as he was on his way to Johannesburg. He was in a taxi at Montrose [on Van Reenen’s Pass] while the second was in Kwa­Mkhutha [south of Durban]. We found some of the goods stolen from other house robbery incidents,” said Suleiman.

Police were also involved in tracking and arresting the suspects.

Murray’s wife, Lee-Ann, said her husband is glad that they were arrested. “He doesn’t want to speak to the media about this. He is still not ready to talk but he is glad that they were arrested,” she said.

Hampson left his wife Anne, four sons and six grandchildren.

He was attacked on his farm on September 27 as he and Murray were checking on employees on the farm.

Hampson and his son had put the men they found on his land on the back of their bakkie and drove off with them, not realising that one of them was armed. Murray, who was sitting in the back with the two men, saw one of them cock a gun. He jumped off the bakkie and shouted to his father to drive off. The man, who had also jumped off the bakkie, shot at Hampson as he tried to drive off. He died trying to get away in his bakkie.

The KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) security desk’s Koos Marais said they were pleased to hear about the arrest.

“Now the case will be in court for speedy trial and the sentence will be received to send a clear message to would-be farm attackers and murderers that this will no longer be tolerated. We call on government to take urgent steps to curb brutal attacks on our nation’s food producers,” said Marais.

Plessislaer cluster police spokesperson Captain Musa Ntombela confirmed that they have arrested the suspects. “Two suspects aged 27 and 28 were arrested yesterday. They will appear in the Richmond Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday,” said Ntombela.

Magma Security work closely with the police in solving cases in the province.

In July they freed businessman Mosein Patel who was kidnapped and kept in chains for 22 days in a house on the South Coast. They also arrested seven suspects who were demanding R1 million ransom in that case.

In October, Magma Security Company helped police arrest five suspects in connection with cases of vehicle remote jamming in Camperdown, outside Pietermaritzburg. The five suspects were arrested at the Camperdown Spar by Magma Security Investigation guards.

Provincial police have recently awarded a certificate of appreciation to Magma Security for their contribution in fighting crime in various parts of the province.